Chapter 2310: Ma Liang

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"Who knows? Perhaps he had a plan, and truly possessed the exact coordinates of a lost realm, or perhaps he merely stumbled into it by accident. However, the fact that this traitor could escape our Nine Essences Temple's pursuit so easily with the treasure clearly indicates he had someone pulling the strings. Otherwise, even with a hundred times his courage, he would never have dared to betray our temple," the black-faced Taoist priest said, seemingly alluding to something.

"What's there to guess? Most likely, the person behind this is one of those who personally intervened to stop your grand-ancestor," the woman scoffed.

The black-faced Taoist priest nodded, clearly sharing the same opinion.

"Alright, matters at your grand-ancestor's level are beyond our intervention. I'm more curious about which disciple the temple would send to the lost realm if there were truly a way to get someone there. Nephew Li, are you interested in this?" the woman in purple suddenly asked with a light chuckle.

"Aunt, you jest! My meager cultivation is hardly capable of such a heavy responsibility. However, those fellow disciples who are generally naive about worldly affairs are also unlikely to be entrusted with this. The traitor's cultivation is no small matter; he was originally among the top-ranked disciples of his generation in the temple. Although he now seems to be struggling to survive in the lower realm, we cannot rule out the possibility that he is deliberately feigning weakness. Furthermore, if he truly has been suppressed in the lower realm, that's not necessarily good news. It would indicate the presence of extraordinarily powerful beings in that realm, and an ordinary disciple going down might not be capable of intimidating the strong figures there and successfully accomplishing the mission if their shrewdness and cultivation are insufficient," the black-faced Taoist priest said, repeatedly waving his hands.

"Oh, if what you say is true, then we can only choose someone from among the disciples who frequently travel outside. Nephew Zhu and Nephew Wu are both excellent candidates; they're likely strong contenders, aren't they?" the woman in purple said with a knowing smile.

"Senior Brother Zhu and Junior Brother Wu—one is steady and composed, the other resourceful and adaptable. They are indeed good candidates, but compared to another person, they still fall a bit short," the black-faced Taoist priest said, his eyes flashing with a hint of something unusual.

"Another person? You mean..." The woman in purple paused, surprised.

"Aunt, you probably don't know yet, but Senior Brother Ma has broken through his seclusion," the black-faced Taoist priest slowly stated.

"What? When did that fellow Ma Liang finish his punishment? I haven't received any news at all," the woman in purple exclaimed, her smile completely vanishing.

"Nephew, I only learned this news a few days ago when I met a junior brother from the temple outside. Few people actually know about this right now. However, given Senior Brother Ma's cultivation and methods, it's highly probable that our senior uncles will send him to undertake this important task," the black-faced Taoist priest said gravely.

"Hmph, that's not necessarily true. Although Ma Liang's strength is considerable, his temperament is a bit extreme. Back then, merely to refine a treasure, he once sacrificed hundreds of millions of lives from a small kingdom in the lower realm, causing no end of trouble for our temple. If not for your grand-ancestor, who took pity on his exceptional talent and acknowledged the great deeds he had performed for our temple on several occasions, he would never have gotten off with just ten thousand years of seclusion. If he were sent to a lost realm where others couldn't intervene, he would likely cause even greater calamities," the woman in purple said coldly.

"Aunt, what you say makes sense. But don't forget the item in the traitor's possession. It's incredibly important to our temple and to your grand-ancestor. Simply to retrieve that item, our senior uncles might well send him down to capture the traitor," the black-faced Taoist priest said with a knowing chuckle.

"Given the dispositions of those old fellows, that is indeed a possibility. If Ma Liang were truly to descend, even if his cultivation and magic power were suppressed, with his methods, retrieving that item would be a certainty. Never mind, this matter is not for you or me to meddle with. You are merely a small steward disciple, and I am just a nominal palace mistress. However, no matter who is sent to the lower realm, it will likely require your grand-ancestor's personal permission. At that time, who knows what changes might occur. But if you truly get accurate information about the traitor's realm, don't forget to inform me," the woman in purple said after a moment of thought.

"Yes, Nephew will do his best," the black-faced Taoist priest replied respectfully.

"Is there anything else? If not, I'm going to rest," the woman in purple asked noncommittally."My visit today was merely to convey this matter; there's nothing else. Nephew shall take his leave," the black-faced Taoist priest said, immediately rising and bowing.

The woman in purple simply nodded, seeming to have completely lost interest in speaking.

After the black-faced Taoist priest bowed out, he turned and walked toward the main gate. The moment his feet stepped out of the gate, space fluctuated, and he vanished into thin air.

The next moment, the black-faced Taoist priest's vision brightened, and he found himself back on the grassland. The trees and exotic flowers around him were as before, but behind him, there was only emptiness, without a trace of the palace or the woman in purple. The black-faced Taoist priest glanced behind him twice, then unhesitatingly lifted his leg and walked back along the small courtyard path he had come from.

About a cup of tea's time later, a dragon's roar echoed from before the colossal gates of the Jinhan Immortal Palace. A blue ice dragon soared into the sky once more, and after a few flashes, disappeared beyond the peaks.

At the same time, in the mysterious hall, the woman in purple remained seated calmly in her chair. After a long while, she finally muttered to herself with a cold smile: "Lost realm, Ma Liang, hehe, this is good too..." As the woman spoke, her voice gradually became inaudible. After a swirl of shimmering light around her body, her form blurred and vanished.

In a forbidden area of Fuling Mountain in the Spirit Realm.

The white-robed elder, Han Li, Mo Jianli, Xue Ran, and other Grand Ascension stage cultivators stood before a massive formation. This formation was about an *mu* in size, not only adorned with golden and silver spirit patterns throughout, but also densely inlaid with hundreds of various supreme-grade crystals at its corners. Further behind, eight Integration stage Spirit race members, including the bald man, stood respectfully.

Han Li and the others mostly gazed silently at the massive formation, while only the white-robed elder looked up at the sky, holding a disc-shaped artifact in one hand and making indeterminate calculations with the fingers of the other.

"It's almost time. If we depart now, the timing will be just right," the white-robed elder said, his expression shifting as his fingers stopped moving.

"Very well, Mo and the others won't be polite then," Mo Jianli said, his spirits lifting, and he strode towards the formation. Han Li smiled faintly and followed him.

However, after glancing deeply at the two of them, the white-robed elder spoke a few more words in an admonishing tone: "The spatial coordinates for returning have all been set by you, fellow Daoists. Once you crush the Asura Heart, you can return to the Spirit Realm on your own. However, I must remind you, you absolutely must not wait until this item's energy is completely depleted before doing so. If there is truly no Asura Heart energy left, you might be permanently trapped in the Minor Asura Realm."

"Thank you for the reminder, Fellow Daoist Ling. Mo will be extra careful," Mo Jianli replied with a smile from within the formation, his expression shifting slightly. Han Li, his expression unchanged, slightly cupped his hands towards the elder, also expressing his gratitude.

Xue Ran burst into laughter, then walked over with Hei Lin, and just as they were about to enter the formation, he turned to the elder and asked: "Fellow Daoist Ling, just give the Thread of Time you want to my brother. But when we truly return with it, you won't suddenly go back on your word, will you?"

"Rest assured, Fellow Daoist Xue, Mo has great use for that Thread of Time. How could I break my promise?" the white-robed elder replied calmly, without showing any anger.

"Your word is enough, Fellow Daoist," Xue Ran said, showing a satisfied expression. With a sway of his shoulder, he and Hei Lin appeared beside Han Li and Mo Jianli.

The white-robed elder no longer hesitated. He raised the disc in his hand, and a beam of white light shot out from it, vanishing instantly as it merged into the formation. The colossal formation immediately began to hum loudly, and swathes of golden and silver light shimmered forth, while countless runes surged out from the crystals. With a roar! Han Li and the others vanished in a flash within the formation.

The white-robed elder stared unblinkingly at the center of the formation. Only after everyone had truly disappeared did he finally sigh in relief. After a moment's thought, he turned and instructed the eight Spirit race Holy Spirits: "Listen up, all of you. From now on, take turns guarding this formation. If there's the slightest anomaly, immediately send me a message."

"Yes, Lord Spirit King!" The eight Integration stage Spirit race members naturally responded in unison. The white-robed elder nodded, then with a flick of his sleeve, a swirl of white light enveloped him, transforming into a long rainbow that tore through the air and departed.

After the remaining eight Spirit race members discussed amongst themselves, six of them departed one by one, leaving only the bald man and another Integration stage Spirit race member. These two unceremoniously sat down cross-legged on the spot. After closing their eyes, each released an extremely vast divine sense, enveloping the entire formation layer by layer. Under these circumstances, the colossal formation could not possibly hide even the slightest irregularity from their perception. With their eyes closed, the two great Holy Spirits' breaths gradually became steady and slow, as they truly entered a state of meditation.

Han Li shook his head and felt his previously somewhat heavy head lighten a little. He truly hadn't experienced this kind of teleportation discomfort in a long time. Of course, this was because this particular teleportation was a truly rare cross-realm one, and even with his immense strength, it was impossible to feel no abnormalities at all.

Once Han Li had fully regained his senses, he naturally raised his head and scanned his surroundings. He saw that the surroundings were filled with white trees, each about the width of a bowl. The ground was covered with various low shrubs, wild grass, and other vegetation intertwined, but their branches and leaves were somewhat scorched and withered, giving off a desolate feeling.

However, there was no sign of Mo Jianli, Xue Ran, or the others. Han Li's expression didn't change in the slightest! He and Mo Jianli had already anticipated this situation before coming and had made some arrangements. He immediately looked up at the sky, and his expression subtly changed.